Currents for Currents,
Blue is the new green
Population increase and global warming – two of the planet’s most critical threats. While the effects of these may still seem minimal to the fortunate few, some have it the worst. Coastal communities: caught in the cross fire between the scarcity of land and resources, and the rising tides and storm surges brought about by the sea. Forced to live in the most volatile conditions, these communities are in dire need of safe and sustainable shelters, creating room for an innovative solution bringing architecture and the sea together.
With “blue as the new green” as its design philosophy, Currents for Currents is a housing solution to both the vulnerability of coastal communities to harsh natural calamities, and the lack of reliable power infrastructure in these far-flung areas. With resilience as one of the primary concerns, the structures were designed with as much flexibility as possible to adapt to the sea’s ever-changing conditions
The heart of the project, however, lies in the way it has been designed to use their unique at-sea context to their operational advantage. The houses are powered by both tidal and solar energy harvested by technology incorporated within the units themselves, thus rendering the entire community to be completely off-the-grid and self-sufficient. These power harvesting systems not only provide each unit with a sustainable primary source of power, but also a means of livelihood and source of income in electricity farming for nearby inland communities.
Although originally set in the Philippine context, the modular design of these houses, as well as the use of a universally available material for its main structural frame – molded plastic – allows for their ease in construction in practically any coastal site around the world.